News and Features
Related to Autism

By Tara Haelle HealthDay Reporter
FRIDAY, Feb. 13, 2015 (HealthDay News) -- Children with autism appear to approach play differently than typically developing children, a recent study contends. "Children with autism lack a social component to their play and don't 'adjust' their play accordingly when

Jan. 26, 2015 -- Scientists searching for the genetic roots of autism have found something surprising: In families where two children have been diagnosed with the disorder, siblings don’t often share the same gene changes. The new study fits into a larger body of research suggesting the genetics of

By Tara Haelle HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, Jan. 5, 2015 (HealthDay News) -- Owning a pet may play a role in social skills development for some children with autism, a new study suggests. The findings are among the first to investigate possible links between pets and social skills in kids with an auti

By Robert Preidt HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, Dec. 22, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Different types of gene mutations may play a role in the severity and type of autism, new research suggests. The findings could lead to improved diagnosis and treatments for the disorder, the researchers added. No two peop

By Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, Nov. 3, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The dramatic increase in the number of children diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder is largely the result of changes in how the condition is reported, Danish researchers contend. At least in Denmark, the researcher

By Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter
FRIDAY, Oct. 24, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Children exposed to two air toxins -- chromium and styrene -- while in the womb and during the first two years of life may have increased odds of developing autism, according to a new study. Prenatal and early exposure t

By Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, Oct. 13, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- A compound extracted from broccoli sprouts may improve some social and behavioral problems that affect people with autism, a new study suggests. The study was short-term and small, including just over 40 teenage boys and youn

By Robert Preidt HealthDay Reporter
TUESDAY, Sept. 30, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Children conceived either less than one year or more than five years after the birth of a sibling could be at increased risk for autism, a new study suggests. However, both the study's lead author and an outside expert a

Sept. 9, 2014 -- Kristin Hinson knows the signs of autism well. Her two older sons, Justin and Simon, both have the disorder. So when baby Noah didn't seem to be making much eye contact and wouldn't always respond when Hinson tried to play simple games like peek-a-boo, she feared that he, too, might

By Alan Mozes HealthDay Reporter
TUESDAY, July 29, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Treating certain adult autism patients with just a single dose of the hormone oxytocin quickly improved their ability to judge facial expressions and emotions, Japanese researchers report. Known as the "love hormone," oxytoc